Performance HTPC

My official recommendations always include only components that I have tested myself. This page has been published in October 2016 and the system still works really well in my living room.

Due to many requests from my readers, here you can find a work in progress page of my untested 2019 Performance HTPC build. Unfortunately, due to my full time job, I am not able to build new computers at the moment.

This sub-$1200 Performance HTPC is a great choice for you if you are interested in playing games (even VR) in your living room or getting the ultimate 4K picture quality.

Building a small form factor gaming HTPC that is powerful and silent is not easy at all. This is my third iteration and I’m finally happy to say that this build delivers very good 1080p gaming performance while staying practically silent. Don’t waste money on trial and error like I did. This blueprint will show exactly how you can achieve silent gaming.

I’m using an Intel Core i5-6600 Skylake processor, which is a 65W CPU that runs super cool and keeps everything quiet while providing enough performance even for games.

In case you are wondering, different numbers in Intel Core i5 indicate what processor clock speeds they are using, which Intel HD graphics model and whether the voltage has been adjusted or not.

The letters at the end of Intel Core processor models mean whether it is possible to overclock the processor or whether the processor has already being underclocked for better power efficiency.

K-models in the Intel processor line up are great choices if you want to do overclocking, but this is not generally recommended for HTPC use as overclocking requires more power and thus more cooling.

However, T-models are a bit more expensive and may be harder to find from your preferred store.

In order to get the best audio quality, I chose a bit more expensive ASUS Maximus VIII Impact motherboard that has a dedicated sound card (SupremeFX). The Impact motherboard has 8 pin connector next to the 24 pin connector for better cable management and advanced fan controls for silent gaming. It also runs cooler compared to other mini-ITX mobos.

Graphic card coolers can easily be the noisiest component in your computer. Therefore I chose EVGA GTX 1060 SC that is a perfect graphics card for super quiet 1080p gaming. It supports 4K at 60Hz and VR.

In this 2017 reference performance HTPC, I am still using a Silverstone ML07 case, which is a “home theater box” version of the revolutionary Raven RVZ01 case. The Milo ML07 has a PCI-E riser making it perfect choice for your gaming HTPC. In order to improve the thermal performance, I recommend placing the ML07 in the vertical position.

I installed two Noctua NF-S12A ULN case fans on the GPU side to pull air into the case and one case fan on the CPU side to push air out of the case. The ASUS Maximus VIII Impact motherboard’s external fan card allows you to have extra three individually controllable fan headers.

Thanks to the efficient ASUS Maximus VIII Impact motherboard, Scythe Big Shuriken 2 CPU cooler and a new Corsair SF450 PSU, I’ve been able to significantly reduce noise levels from the previous edition making this build practically silent.

The following components have been tested and proven to be compatible in my test bench.

Please note that product links on this page are affiliate links, and I will earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase through those links.

Thank you for supporting my hard work!

Step-by-Step Build Instructions

Subscriber-exclusive content: If you’re My Media Experience subscriber, you get free life-time access to step-by-step training courses in our member resource library that will help you to build your HTPC from scratch, choose the right software and set them up. Not subscribed yet? Sign up here.